Author Question: During examination of a patient's extremities, you press firmly for a brief period on a fingernail. ... (Read 56 times)

HudsonKB16 · **on:** Jul 16, 2018

During examination of a patient's extremities, you press firmly for a brief period on a fingernail.

You observe that it takes approximately 5 sec for the color to return to the nail bed. This finding is most consistent with which of the following?
a. Reduction in cardiac output or poor pe-ripheral perfusion
b. Presence of a disorder causing chronic hypoxemia
c. Reduction in venous return to the right side of the heart
d. Presence of a disorder causing systemic hypertension

Question 2

In patients with chronic respiratory disease, what does pedal edema indicate?

a. Right ventricular failure
b. Impaired pulmonary diffusion
c. Systemic hypertension
d. Left ventricular hypertrophy

Fayaz00962 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 16, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
When cardiac output is reduced and digital perfusion is poor, capillary refill is slow, taking sev-eral seconds to complete. In healthy individuals with good cardiac output and digital perfusion, capillary refill time is less than 3 sec.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: A
Pedal edema most often results from heart failure, which causes an increase in the hydrostatic pressure of the venous system and leaking of fluid from the vessels into the surrounding tissues.